Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $768 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Veles

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Veles actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $768 in Veles.

Athens $1,775
Veles $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,139 in Veles.

Athens $2,721
Veles $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,510 in Veles.

Athens $3,666
Veles $1,510

Living in Athens is roughly 131% more expensive than in Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Veles is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$8.65 MKD 472

92.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$18.00 MKD 982

276.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.43 MKD 296

105.16%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.50 MKD 82.0

168.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.32 MKD 72.0

109.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.80 MKD 43.42

-31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.48 MKD 80.7

287.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.03 MKD 165

79.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.06 MKD 57.9

71.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.51 MKD 27.74

170.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$1.45 MKD 79.2

93.10%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$2.48 MKD 135

94.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$2.96 MKD 162

408.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.07 MKD 222

161.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$15.11 MKD 824

21.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.41 MKD 77.0

56.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.43 MKD 77.9

32.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.38 MKD 75.2

-0.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.88 MKD 103

11.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.85 MKD 46.16

27.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.83 MKD 45.33

34.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.59 MKD 31.96

89.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.59 MKD 32.06

49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$3.33 MKD 182

64.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.44 MKD 351

57.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.06 MKD 57.8

100.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.49 MKD 81.0

51.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.79 MKD 43.05

72.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$23.23 MKD 1,267

28.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$1.11 MKD 60.3

300.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.61 MKD 33.44

67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$7.43 MKD 405

127.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.46 MKD 79.8

54.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €24.9K

$26.8K MKD 1.5M

4.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K €25.1K

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

13.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$205 €182

$108 MKD 5,901

89.13%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.65 €23.71

$17.34 MKD 946

53.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$12.02 MKD 655

152.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$25.47 MKD 1,389

113.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$17.82 MKD 972

45.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$3.38 MKD 184

208.28%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$569 €506

$221 MKD 12.1K

157.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,716 MKD 311.8K

120.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$21.99 MKD 1,199

303.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$18.42 MKD 1,005

119.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$72.2 MKD 3,940

45.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$110 MKD 5,987

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$218 MKD 11.9K

240.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$170 MKD 9,300

283.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$290 MKD 15.8K

348.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$236 MKD 12.9K

386.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,174 MKD 64.0K

242.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$933 MKD 50.9K

270.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$594 MKD 32.4K

109.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.23

5.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Veles

$170 22.2% 74% $484

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Veles

$171 22.3% 44.8% $139

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Veles

$125 16.4% 53.2% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Veles

$138 17.9% 47.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Veles

$100 13% 37.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Veles

$32 4.2% 57.2% $43

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Veles

$31 4% 31.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $218 in Veles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 109% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $18.00 in Veles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $171 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

43,716

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Veles wins on cost – living expenses run 131% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Veles the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 109% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $218 in Veles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Veles – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $768 in Veles – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Veles versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Veles but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Veles the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Veles delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Veles hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Veles are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Veles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.